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| DOHA: A man secures relief supplies received by the Qatar charity for earthquake survivors to be transported onto a C-130 plane at an air force base on Saturday. AFP |
GAYAN: As vital medical supplies reached hospitals in quake-hit areas of
Afghanistan on Saturday, the country's Taliban government pleaded for more
international aid, promising on Saturday it would not disrupt international
efforts to distribute aid to victims.
The United Nations and several other countries have rushed aid to the
affected areas, and more are expected to arrive in the coming days.
The UN Migration Agency said it has started distributing thousands of
emergency shelters and hygiene kits in affected areas, while Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin confirmed on Saturday that Beijing is donating
50 million yuan ($7.5 million). emergency humanitarian aid including tents,
sheets, convertible beds to earthquake-hit Afghanistan. The first shipment of
Chinese aid would reach Afghanistan on a chartered flight on Monday.
$7.5 million in Chinese aid to reach Afghanistan tomorrow
The 5.9 magnitude quake hit hardest in the harsh east along the border
with Pakistan as people slept, killing over 1,000 and leaving thousands more
homeless. Even before the June 22 quake, the country was in the grip of a
humanitarian crisis, with aid flows and financial assistance severely curtailed
since the Taliban returned to power.
A spokesman for the provincial government of Paktika, Mohammad Amen
Hozifa, said: "We call on all humanitarian organizations to help the
people.
However, aid organizations had complained in the past that the Taliban
authorities were trying to divert aid to areas and people supporting their
tough insurgency, or even confiscating goods to distribute themselves and claim
the credit. But Khan Mohammad Ahmad, a senior official in hard-hit Paktika
province, said international organizations supporting relief efforts would not
be affected.
Whether it's WFP, Unicef, or any other organization...the international
community or the United Nations...they will do the distribution themselves,
Khan said. The people in charge from the Islamic Emirate are here...our members
will always be with them (to help), he added, referring to the Taliban's new
name for Afghanistan.
The disaster poses a huge logistical challenge for the government, which
is cut off from much direct international aid by Western sanctions,
exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in parts of the country ahead of this week's
earthquake.
Published in APC GROUP, June 26, 2022
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